The New Heroes
by Remmy117
Summary: For many a year the blood line of heroes have been thin until Ten years after the darkness tried to take over Albion three special children are born, through their dreams Theresa speaks to them. The Hero of Strength, Will, and Skill are needed again.
1. Chapter 1, The Dream

Chapter 1, The Dream

Fog drifted about her feet as she slowly moved forward. She knew her way, she had been guided down the invisible pathway many times over the years.

"Hello again Atlas," came a familiar voice of an older woman that she only knew through her dreams. Her red and white striped robes, hood up shadowing her face slowly reached out her hand for the small girl to take.

Atlas took it and the woman leaded her down a forming narrow road, "The time is nearing Atlas."

"I m not scared!" declared Atlas.

The woman smiled, "Like all children your age, but you are different my Atlas, the other Heroes will need your guidance. They no longer believe."

"Is that why they stopped coming?" asked Atlas.

"Yes, times are grim, they have stopped believing, so they have stopped dreaming. Be ready Atlas, they will need you, soon the world will need you" they came to a stop and the woman looked at her, "Remember the Spire Atlas once you find them."

Atlas stared blankly at her, "The Spire?" The fog started to thicken, "Where are they? How do I find them?"

"Your destiny will guide you," was her answer before Atlas awoke and found herself laying in an worn bed hearing loud steam horns from Bowerstone Industrial.

Atlas buried her face into her pillow and sighed, but she sat up shaking off her laziness.

"Good morning Atlas!" smaller boy popped up from the floor next to her making her yelp and fall off the narrow bed.  
She hit the floor with a thud and cut her eyes at her younger brother, "You are mighty cheerful this morning Gabriel." she grumbled.

He smiled brightly non fearful of the pits of hell in her eyes, "To day is the Reaver's Carnival, remembered you promised! And look!" he then held up a small jar that contained a bit of gold, "I've been savin' up for the games!"

Gabriel was only seven, just a small child full of fun and energy, however Atlas, reaching close to her twelfth was once the same way. But burdens of adulthood where beginning to set in deep, draining out the energy and the fun like water from a sponge. This didn't make the older sister heartless though, she promised the boy to take him to the carnival, in hope of keeping him happy for as long as it would last until he came the next to be strained.

She gave a nod, "Yes, yes, go get ready."

He looked down at himself, "I am already."

She blinked, "Well, wait just a bit more and I'll be ready, then we can go"

He let out a cheer and ran down the hall to their parents.

_Don't worry, I don't plan to have all chapters this short, but you got to start somewhere ^^._


	2. Chapter 2, Record Breaker

Chapter 2, Record Breaker

After they left their small home, Atlas walked calmly holding tightly to her younger brother s hand keeping him from getting to far away. "You know the carnival isn't going anywhere." she mumbled to him.

Gabriel mimicked the actions of a small dog being slowed by his leash. Soon they came with in distance of the small carnival when the sounds and smell hit their senses.

Atlas blinked when Gabriel was able to wiggle out of her grasp and took off running ahead. "Bloody hell!" she sighed and hurried off after him.

He rounded a corner almost losing his balance, which allowed Atlas to catch up with him grabbing his shoulders. Their momentum caused them to stagger and collide with an unsuspecting by stander. The gasped as a man dressed in a white coat with fur lacing was quickly able to regain his balance holding his black top hat and cut his eyes at them. He suddenly smiled at them, "OH my what sweet clumsy children." he said.

"Sorry," breathed Atlas, "My brother is excited," she said wrapping her arms around Gabriel's waist holding on to him.

The man glanced at the boys hand carrying his small bag of gold and then chuckled softly, "Well, you best be off, don't want to miss any games do you?" He bent down to their level and gently tapped his cane to Atlas's shoulder, "Don't get into any trouble." Atlas felt her stomach turn when she locked with his dark brown eyes.

There was something sinister about him, "Yes sir," she mumbled giving a nod.

He smiled, "Good girl." As he stood straight Atlas pulled Gabriel away when she noticed a single barreled flintlock pistol, she knew it to be a very powerful weapon, but did not care to find out if he was good at using it.

"Sorry again sir!" she called back to him as her and Gabriel ran safely into the crowd.

Pursing his lips, he was now starting to wonder why he hadn't done the world a favor and shot the two clumsy children

...

The sun started to set when Gabriel finally came down to his last coin. He stared at it blankly as Atlas watched him, "Make it count." she said bring him back to the real world.

He looked around at the available stands since the crowd died down. He quickly spotted a bull s-eye gun stand, "Hey, Atlas look!" he pointed.

Atlas glanced, "No." she grumbled folding her arms over her chest.

"Aw, come on Sis! It'll be easy for you." he said tugging on her arm.

"I don't play games Gabe, you do it." she said.

He pouted, "fine." giving up and skipped his way over to the stand, keeping her promise to her mother the sister followed him.

He dropped the coin onto the counter, "I'll have a round my good man." Atlas clapped her hand to her face, seeing how Gabriel could barely see over the counter.

"I can't watch." she mumbled as the men started to snicker, trickery was written all about them.

"Well little man here you go!" One laughed as he handed Gabriel a musket that he could barely hold up.

"Whoa! What the bloody hell you trying to do! The backlash could crack his chest!" glared Atlas.

The man narrowed his eyes, "pity."

Atlas growled and carefully pushed Gabriel aside and picked up one of the pistols that were on the table.

The two men suddenly burst out laughing at her, "Oh so the little girl gonna show us how it s done!"

The other got ready to time her, "Ok, get re-"

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom rung out like lighting. Atlas stared at the bull s-eye targets, each one dead on without missing a shot.

"She... She beat the record Kip," breathed the man.

Shaking his head, "That s impossible... Tim... Its Reaver's record."

Atlas sat the pistol back on the counter and noticed a sign reading 'Beat the record, win the prize', she looked at Kip, "Is that what I get? What s the prize?" she asked.

Tim and Kip stared blankly past her at a figure that had joined them, "M-Master Reaver!"

Atlas turned to look and gulped recognizing the figure to be the man dressed in white with a black top hat.

"Well, now what a surprise" he started walking toward her, "When I heard those shots I expected to at least find... Well, someone taller... older... not a clumsy child." he leaned on his cane.

"Age does not amount up to skill." she mumbled.

Reaver let out a laugh, "Isn't that the truth, but if there are two things in this world that I know, its age and skill."

Atlas raised an eyebrow only replying him only with her silence.

"What is your name, my dear?" he asked.

"At-Atlas."

"Well, congrats Atlas, you've won the grand prize!" he announced raising his hand in the air. He reached to his side causing Atlas to snap her eyes shut, there was no use in running if he was going to shoot her. But the shot never came, instead she heard a jingle noise in front of her face, she blinked to find Reaver holding out a huge bag of gold to her.  
"Well?" he said smiling.

Slowly she reached up and took hold right under his hand. He let go and patted her head, "Well, go on, run along back home."

Atlas backed away slowly then picked up speed grabbing Gabriel by his hand and they ran away. Reaver watched them and glanced upward staring off into the distance he could see far away a tall black tower, "That s the second time I didn't kill them. There are more forces at work here than I realized." He mumbled.

_Woo another chapter, doing pretty good so far, no writers block yet... darn it. Please review.  
_


	3. Chapter 3, goodbye home

Chapter 3, Goodbye home

Atlas laid quietly in her bed with her blanket bundled up to her shoulders, she contently stared out her window looking up to a bright full moon that disappeared and reappeared through the pollution of smoke. It wasn't often she was able to see things in the night sky, it seemed to be almost to peaceful. Only closing her eyes for a second to blink and discovered she back in her dream surrounded by thick white fog.

"Its time Atlas" spoke the older woman who stepped up behind her and placed her hands on her shoulder.

Atlas turned to look up at her, "Wh-what do you mean?"

"What we've talked about over the years Atlas. Its time for you to leave your home. You and your brother, leave before it is too late." She replied.

"but.. but we are just kids how are we going to survive out there!? That's a whole different world outside Bowerstone!" Atlas proclaimed.

The old woman nodded and frowned slightly, "i know... its frightening. But you must. This life you live will change and you will go through hell before the end. Once you take that step you must keep walking. Walk firm, should you lose your footing in the rapid waters of destiny, you will drown."

Atlas stared up at her for a moment before turning her gaze downward, "but I... Where do I need to go first, Theresa?"

"Travel to Brightwall. There you will find your first companion, the new hero of will" Theresa answered, "A young scholar who practices her skill out the sight of others. Her name is Skilare. Tell her that you've walked the path of misted light. She will understand."

Atlas looked at her again, "path of misted light? Then.. where after that?"

"One step at a time, my child, one step at a time." Theresa smiled down at her as Atlas' vision started to swirl and fade.

After blinking a few times her room that was shared with her parents and brother came back into focus. She looked around pushing her self up from her bed and looked around to find everything seemed to be normal. Gabriel was sprawled out in a strange angle on his bed with his head barely on the floor and snoring loudly. Shaking her head with a heavy sigh Atlas was about to lay back down in her bed but jolted from her bed upon hearing a loud knock downstairs. Her parents ignored it for a moment until it got louder and more violent as if the visitor was trying to break down the door.

"What in the hell?" she could hear her father growling from his bed.

She sat up quickly looking at her father as he picked up a lantern, "Daddy?"

"Its nothing sweet heart go back to sleep" he patted her head as he walked by her bed to get to the stairs.

Atlas watched as he disappeared downstairs before she jumped up and started to pull on her boots. She could hear her father answer the door as she moved to her parents bed where a long chest was hidden under the mattress that contained a few of her father's weapons. While she loaded up a pistol her mother started to rise from her bed, "Atlas?" she blinked at her daughter, but both of their attention was soon diverted to an argument that broke out downstairs and was ended by a gunshot.

Her mother jumped from the bed grabbing a hatchet from the chest and hurried to dark corner just at the top of the stairs to wait for the intruders. As they rushed into their home and started up the stairs they didn't see the attack waiting for them. Atlas's brave mother swung from the shadow driving the deadly edge into one man's face.

Atlas winced looking away from the bloody sight as her mother set her attack upon the other interloper. Soon it was over, but not for long. Her mother pulled her up from the floor, "grab what you can, only important things you can't live without love," she said to her daughter before going to wake her son, surprisingly he was still asleep. Her young eyes looked down to the bloody corner and her stomach turned slightly as she found she couldn't look away.

"Atlas, do what I said!" her mother yelled at her bringing her back to her senses.

The young girl nodded and collected what she could use from her father's chest, and stuffed a satchel with all her gold and clothes. Just as she finished, her mother with her younger brother in her arms, grabbed her arm and started to quickly pull her way. She moved her children so fast to avoid the sight of dead bodies and their dead father. They moved so quickly their waking neighbors gazed out their windows confused and groggy.

….

Running through the back alleys of Bowerstone industrial seemed to be easier that it looked. Guardsmen of the area where rushing to a fight while most of the city slept. "Mommy" Gabriel had started rubbing tears from his eyes, "whats going on?"

She hugged her son close petting his head, "i don't know love" she whispered back to him. She peeked out from their hiding place after the street was silent again. She looked back to her daughter siting down Gabriel with her, "listen to me.. go ahead of me and get out of the city."

"Mommy no. no no" Gabriel started to cry more reaching for his mother.

She hugged both of her children one more time, "mind your sister little love, hopefully.. we'll be together again."

"what.. do you mean. You aren't coming with us?!" Atlas asked.

Her mother looked at her, "I think we both our paths split from here love" her mother said sadly.

"You.. know about that?" Atlas stared in shock.

"I'm sorry love..but yes. Now go." She said pointing in the direction where her two children could sneak out of the city.

Hesitating at first Atlas looked around the streets before she took her brother's arm and to pull him with her. By the time she looked back to the alley they once were, she discovered it to be empty and her mother gone. Thankfully Atlas knew the streets of Bowerstone and she guided her brother through them and they safely made it out, saying goodbye to their home.

_Sorry i had forgotten about all my stories. That's what life will do to you when you leave high school. But i'm trying to get back to these now that i found my account and all. But read and review. _


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